


Dude's got his PhD.

by caitlesshea



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Aliens, Conspiracy Theories, M/M, Project Shephard, phd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-14 17:07:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18480616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitlesshea/pseuds/caitlesshea
Summary: Alex thought this trip with Michael & Kyle to the abandoned prison wouldn't lead to much. So what happens when he finds out not one, but two more secrets about Michael?orMichael's hiding a degree & a friend.





	Dude's got his PhD.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't think I'm prepared for the Malex scenes that will most likely destroy us (me) next episode. Especially the one set to Tyler's song! But I really hope the guy they meet in the prison is one of Alex's brothers, and that he isn't of the Jesse Manes variety. I also hate making up character names so I used the name that is listed on IMDb. Can't wait to see BAMF!Alex.

 

Alex doesn’t like the feeling of a gun pressed against the back of his head. Not at all. Although it would stop him from having to listen to Kyle and Michael’s snide bickering.  _ This trip has been going so well.  _

 

But it takes all of ten seconds for him to turn and disarm the asshole holding a gun to his head. Just as he turns and points the gun towards the other person he freezes.

 

“Dude. What the fuck?” Alex says angrily to his brother. Well,  _ one  _ of his brothers.

 

“Alex?” 

 

“Yeah. What the hell are you doing pulling a gun on me?” Alex still hasn’t lowered the weapon. 

 

“I didn’t recognize you.” 

 

“Didn’t recognize me?! I’m your brother!” Alex shouts and pulls the gun back. 

 

“I haven’t seen you in years, bro. And I saw you from the back. I didn’t know!” 

 

“Hey Alex. You okay? I heard yelling.” Kyle asks as he runs into the room. Kyle takes one look at Alex and then his brother and smirks. 

 

“Hey man.” Kyle says to Alex’s brother Flint.

 

“Valenti.” Flint gives Kyle a curt nod and then turns to Alex. “You hanging out with your high school bully now?” 

 

“We’ve been working on that. We’re friends now.” Kyle says as he slings an arm over Alex’s shoulder. 

 

“Not friends.” Alex mumbles as he removes Kyle’s arm from his shoulder.

 

“Can I have my gun back?” Flint asks.

 

“No.” 

 

“C’mon man.” 

 

“Dude! What are you doing here?!” Michael yells happily as he bursts into the room. Michael walks right up to Alex’s brother and gives him a handshake and weird bro hug that has Alex’s mouth hanging open like a fish and Kyle staring wide eyed. 

 

“Michael! Man, it’s good to see you. Didn’t know you’ve been hanging around Alex again.”  _ Since when does his brother call Guerin, Michael? _

 

“Yeah. Just helping.” Michael shrugs and his eyes dart around. “Didn’t know you were involved in Project Shepard too.”

 

“Yeah. Gotta make sure the rat bastard doesn’t kill anybody.” Flint smirks and Michael laughs. 

 

“Good point man.” Michael says and Alex feels like he’s living in the Twilight Zone. Which is definitely saying something for how weird this is, considering they’re investigating a government conspiracy theory about aliens.

 

“You know my brother?” Alex asks Michael. Michael turns and raises an eyebrow at him.

 

“Uh. Yeah. I know all of your brothers.” 

 

“What?!” This question from Kyle.

 

“I mean...we grew up together. Why wouldn’t I know them?” Michael asks, but he looks sheepish. Alex glares at him. 

 

“What Michael is failing to mention, is that I was stationed back in Roswell about five years ago and I needed my truck looked at. When I went to get it fixed, Michael was the mechanic, and I recognized him from when you two would hang out so we started talking. We’ve kept in touch.” Flint laughs as he pats Michael on the back. 

 

“You...what? You keep in touch? I don’t understand.” Alex asks after a beat.

 

“Dude. It’s not that complicated. Plus, he fixes things. So if I have a problem I call, and he walks me through how to fix it.” 

 

Alex reels back in shock. He’s looking between his brother and Michael like it’s a tennis match. Kyle isn’t doing much better if his  _ deer in headlights look  _ is anything to go by. 

 

“Oh Doc. Come with me. I gotta show you this computer setup.” Flint says as he walks away. Michael goes to follow, when Kyle speaks up.

 

“Why would you need to show me this?” 

 

Flint turns around confused. “Oh right. Medical school. No not you man.” 

 

“Why would you need to show Guerin computer equipment? I’d probably be better…”

 

“If I needed a hacker, little brother, I would’ve told you to come look at it.”

 

“But you called him Doc.” Alex says incredulously as he gestures to Michael. Michael has a look of panic on his face and his hands are shoved into his jean pockets. 

 

“Dude’s got his PhD. Why wouldn’t I call him Doc?” Flint says and turns on his heel to walk away. 

 

Michael looks at Alex and Kyle and gives them a lopsided smile before he walks away. 

 

Alex is frozen in place. Michael has his PhD? Michael and his brother talk? And they’re apparently close enough for his brother to know something about Michael that Alex assumes Max and Isobel don’t even know.  _ What is happening? _

 

“Uh. Alex? Did you know that?” Kyle asks him after he apparently gets over his own shock.

 

“No. I didn’t.” Alex shakes his head and marches after his brother and Michael. He can hear Kyle following him. 

 

He gets into the room where Michael and his brother are and he sees a wall of computers. Michael and Flint are both bent over a keyboard, talking to themselves. 

 

Alex slams the gun on a table causing everyone to jump. Michael turns to him and raises an eyebrow.

 

“You have a doctorate degree?” Alex is seething. 

 

“Uhh...Yes? In mechanical engineering.” Michael answers after a second. 

 

“I’m sorry. But how is that possible? And why does only my brother seem to know this?” 

 

“Well...I got my Bachelor’s Degree online and my Master’s was mostly online, too. And then so was the PhD. I had to drive into school for some exams and my dissertation. But...uh, yeah. I got it a couple of years ago.” Michael shrugs and rubs a hand on the back of his neck, a sure sign that he’s embarrassed. Alex knows he shouldn’t push, but he just can’t  _ deal _ with this. 

 

“Bro. I told you we talk. And that he helps me out. You think he consults for the Air Force with a high school diploma?” Flint chimes in.

 

“You consult for the Air Force?!” Alex’s voice has definitely risen a couple of octaves. He breathes in and out a few times to try and get himself under control.

 

“Uh. Only when your brother calls. I do some other consulting work. It pays the bills.” Michael shrugs.

 

“It pays the bills?” Alex asks him as calmly as he can. 

 

“Why are you still at the junkyard man?” Kyle asks.

 

_ Yes, that’s a good question.  _

 

Michael shrugs. “I like it.” 

 

“Wow, you really don’t like the world enough to change it, do you?” Kyle asks while Michael snorts. 

 

“You been talking to Max? That’s something he likes to say when people ask him why I sit around and drink all day.”

 

“He what?!” Alex asks. He’s pissed off. Still at Michael and his brother, and now apparently Max. 

 

“Dude. Your brother is a dick.” Flint says and Kyle smiles like the cat that got the canary.

 

“Finally.” Kyle breathes with his twinkling eyes. Alex can’t help it, he smiles too. 

 

Michael laughs. “That he is.” Which has all four of them laughing. 

 

“You really didn’t know he had his doctorate?” Flint asks Alex.

 

“No.” Alex shakes his head. 

 

Flint turns to Michael and shakes his head. “Man. No wonder you didn’t want to come to the hospital. When you said you weren’t speaking anymore you meant it.” Michael whips his head up to stare at Alex. 

 

“What hospital? What are you talking about?” Alex asks them both.

 

“When you got hurt. You didn’t want anyone to see you, but I called Michael, thinking you’d want to see him. But he said you guys had gotten into it before that deployment, and that you wouldn’t want to see him.” Flint shrugs. 

 

“You told him about us?” Alex asks in a whisper to Michael. 

 

“Sarge did. When he tried to recruit me to help him. I confronted Michael about it after you got hurt.” Flint looks between the two of them cautiously. 

 

“You know what? I left something in my truck. Valenti. Come help me.” Flint walks away and grabs Kyle by the arm to take him outside. Kyle protests until he leaves the room. 

 

“Guerin?” 

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was involved with Project Shephard. And I would’ve never told him about us. But they didn’t know if you were going to wake up. And he didn’t understand why one of your friends wouldn’t be someone you wanted to see when and if you woke up.” Michael says in a rush. 

 

Alex’s head is spinning. He leans against the table to stop himself from falling over. He nods.

 

“And the rest?” 

 

“Uh. I like school.” Michael shrugs and looks away. Alex feels bad. Not only for saying that Michael was wasting his life, but for assuming that he was as well. 

 

“I’m sorry.” Alex whispers and walks closer to him. 

 

“No reason to be. No one else knows. Just didn’t seem important.”

 

“It’s important. You’re important.” 

 

“Alex…”

 

“I said I wanted to get to know you. And you me. That means we have to talk. So yes, it’s important.” 

 

Michael smiles at him. “He’s not so bad you know. Your brother.” 

 

“I still can’t believe he’s your friend. That is just so weird. It’s almost like you like him better than me.” Alex teases.

 

“Awe c’mon Alex. Don’t be jealous, you know you’re the only Manes I love.” Michael says and then immediately shuts his mouth. Alex looks up at him. 

 

“Love huh?”

 

“Alex…”

 

Alex walks into Michael’s personal space and looks him in the eye.

 

“It’s okay Doc, your secret’s safe with me.” And then he kisses Michael. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come find me on Tumblr - same username!


End file.
